The combustion of conventional fuels, such as gasoline and diesel, has proven to be essential in a myriad of industrial processes. The combustion of gasoline and diesel, however, may often be accompanied by various drawbacks including increased production costs and increased carbon emissions. In view of the foregoing, recent efforts have focused on alternative fuels with decreased carbon emissions, such as natural gas, to combat the drawbacks of combusting conventional fuels. In addition to providing a “cleaner” alternative fuel with decreased carbon emissions, combusting natural gas may also be relatively safer than combusting conventional fuels. For example, the relatively low density of natural gas allows it to safely and readily dissipate to the atmosphere in the event of a leak. In contrast, conventional fuels (e.g., gasoline and diesel) with a relatively high density tend to settle or accumulate in the event of a leak, which may present a hazardous and/or fatal working environment for nearby operators.
While the utilization of natural gas may address some of the drawbacks associated with conventional fuels, the storage and transport of natural gas in sufficient quantities may prevent it from being viewed as a viable alternative to conventional fuels. For example, the storage and/or transport of natural gas in appreciable quantities may be cost-prohibitive and/or impracticable due to its relatively low density. Accordingly, natural gas is routinely converted into liquefied natural gas (LNG) at an LNG plant and transported from the LNG plant to the end user or customer by tanker trucks. The availability of LNG, however, may often be limited by the proximity of the customer to the LNG plant. For example, customers that are remotely located from the LNG plant may often rely on deliveries from the tanker trucks, which increase the cost of utilizing LNG. Additionally, remotely located customers may often be required to maintain larger, cost-prohibitive storage tanks to reduce the frequency of the deliveries and/or their dependence on the tanker trucks. In lieu of LNG, remotely located customers may opt to utilize local natural gas pipelines to produce compressed natural gas (CNG) on-site. CNG, similar to natural gas, has a lower relative density than LNG; and thus, the storage of CNG in appreciable quantities may also be cost-prohibitive and/or impracticable.
What is needed, then, is a system and method for producing LNG from natural gas pipelines and stranded wells.